Grand Meadow
by Sakura123
Summary: ACIII-era. A headcanon story focused on the meeting of Aveline de Grandpre and Ratohnhaké:ton.
1. Blue Birds and Wolves

**Grand Meadow**

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**Author:** Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)

**Genre:** General/Friendship/Adventure

**Rating: T+**

**Timeline:** Assassin's Creed III/Liberation

**Written:** 7/14/2012

**Finished:** 7/14/2012

**Characters:** Aveline de Grandpre; Ratohnhaké:ton/Connor Kenway

**Summary:** ACIII-era. A headcanon story focused on the meeting of Aveline de Grandpre and Ratohnhaké:ton.

**Disclaimer:**_ Assassin's Creed III_, and all things related to the franchise, is property of its many respected owners.

**Authors Note:** Normally, I don't do this, especially when you've got a game that's being promoted as little as "Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation" wherein you know little to nothing about the protagonist (Aveline De Grandpre) besides biographical bits that can't tell you anything about a character unless you see her in action, but this was knocking around in my head and I had to get it out. So here it is, a little bit of the "headcanon" I manifested in my brain about the encounter between Ratohnhaké:ton and Aveline even though it will most assuredly not happen like this.

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**Title:** Blue Birds and Wolves

**Summary:** Ratohnhaké:ton encounters the assassin of New Orleans.

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"Follow me, Frère," She slipped past Ratohnhaké:ton like a ghost, her hat - down low and obscuring her face - likening her to a bird observing its prey before the kill. Careful not to draw attention to himself, Ratohnhaké:ton pulled away from the wall of grandiose structure and followed her into the crowd. She moved through the populace as though unhindered by obstacles at all; her uniform, masculine in appearance, allowed her blend in with the environment far better than the attire provided by the order and he wondered if it was a conscious choice on her part or whomever taught her.

She never looked back once to see if he was following, as soon as they were in a more secluded area she sprinted toward a tree and scaled its body with ease. Ratohnhaké:ton followed, more than a little impressed by her speed. Hoisting her body up onto the balcony just across from them she entered the building and was met with little to no aghast. Quirking an eyebrow, he followed suit, using the momentum of his leap to carry him over the edge of the balcony onto the platform.

"Where is he?"

"In the room on the end, Mademoiselle Grandpré."

"Leave, now. I will take of him, you have my word."

"Please be careful," Connor's line of sight rose as Aveline disappeared from the room, blade gleaming and against the palm of her hand. Inside he found the sullen faces of servants and women of high birth; one in particular sported a split lip and swollen eye. They all stood and started to vacate the room, the one closest to him shrank away from him as though to avoid a blow he had no intentions of delivering. Stepping further into the room he made it a point to avoid eye contact and leave as quickly as he entered. Entering hall he heart a strangled cry and gurgling breath slipping past a choke. Rushing down toward the end of the hall he nudged the door opened to find the woman standing over a man gasping on his last breath in a feeble attempt to retaliate against the darkness closing in around him. Aveline cast a look over her shoulder at the assassin and blinked.

"Was he a Templar?" He inquired.

"Something worse," Aveline replied, withdrawing her blade from the man's throat. Dusting her sleeves off she turned to face him directly. "Agate told me there was another of the order in our midst. I didn't think he was being serious, though. Why are you here, stranger?"

"I'm searching for someone," He said.

"A Templar, no doubt," Aveline remarked, noting his in answer was deliberately vague. She removed herself from over the man and headed toward his armoire. Connor didn't answer; he regarded the dead man on the floor instead. "Was he a target?" Aveline emerged from the wardrobe, several articles of clothing hanging on her arm.

"Of a sort," Aveline huffed, pushing past him. He followed her, equally perturbed by her dodginess. "Why did you have me follow you?"

"You were attracting unwanted attention, which is not good me or you," She answered. "You should find something else to wear." Connor took a moment to regard his attire, white and smudged with dirt (among other things), and frowned up at her. "I should think I attract less attention than a woman in men's clothing."

"Normally I would agree, but you'd be wrong in this," Aveline turned and tossed the clothes at him. He caught them without second thought, but missed the hat that tumbled down to his feet. "Those are for you, stranger. Put them on and meet me on the rooftop." Before he could protest she hurried down the hall and out of the window. There wasn't a peep from the outside, no one even noticed her.

Pulling the hood from his head, Ratohnhaké:ton regarded the dark blue uniform with some suspicion. Normally, he wouldn't bother to think his clothing drew any more attention than the average redcoat or bluecoat. He'd seen the men eyeing him suspiciously; presumably, they may have been soldiers undercover, searching for him. The line between Templar and Assassin was blurred here in the colonies, there were times he recognized people as his brothers and sisters, other times their auras proved his innate trust wrong. Why hadn't he thought to think to do the same with the woman just now? Exhaling slowly he entered a vacant room and did as was asked of him.

Aveline sat crouched on the rooftop, observing the crowd below with detached curiosity. Agate's words rang in her head like an annoying little buzz; she believed him wrong about the presence of another assassin and now she stood confronted with a truth that made her otherwise impudent words taste bitter in her mouth. Her mentor frustrated her, but he was rarely ever wrong. She tapped her blades together in idle contemplation, counting each tap as the edges collided gently against each other. "Mademoiselle Grandpré?" Aveline turned and stood; she eyed the tall figure in blue with mild amusement. "If you must call me anything, call me Aveline."

"Aveline," Ratohnhaké:ton corrected, regarding the blue silhouette that watched him. "Connor."

"What?" Aveline folded her arms.

"My name is Connor, Connor Kenway."

"Is that a name they gave you?"

"No, it's a name I choose for myself," He answered, his tone sharper than intended. She seemed to consider his clarification for a moment then shrugged. "You should able to move around a little easier in those."

"They're a little small," He murmured, rotating his arm and grimacing at how the clothes stretched across his body.

"No, you're a little tall is all, about an inch or so more than he," Aveline said as she approached the edge. "Farewell."

Ratohnhaké:ton looked up from regarding the blue hat in his hand in time to catch Aveline's braids vanish from sight. Strange woman, he thought.


	2. Parting Gifts

**Title:** Parting Gifts

**Summary:** Aveline and Ratohnhaké:ton cross paths again.

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"Ouch," Instinctively, he pulled his head away from her nimble fingers. Without missing a beat, Aveline plucked his ear and pulled him back over. "Abêtir, hold still," She muttered, readjusting her fingers on the hair in her possession.

"I know soldiers with a gentler touch than yours."

"Quelle surprise*," Aveline deadpanned in response. "This wouldn't hurt if you simply held still." Ratohnhaké:ton reframed from rolling his eyes and made himself comfortable against the tree trunk.

"What brings you here, again?"

"I never said," Aveline answered. "What of you?"

"I am captain of the ship _Aquila_," He said, regarding the bright sherbet dress that flowed around her lower half and draped over his leg.

"Oh, the lovely ship out on the harbor?"

"Yes, that's the one," He paused, giving her another look over. "Why are you wearing that thing?" Aveline bobbed her head a little, the feathered hat upon her head obscured her eyes for a moment then she raised her head and smiled. "I'm visiting a friend," She said. Connor scoffed; when they had crossed paths again, he entered a garden party that required an accompanying party.

It would've been as easy as using his blade and stuffing the man in a corner somewhere*, but she had arrived seemingly out of nowhere and pronounced him her absent minded partner who could never arrive on time for anything. He then spent the next ten minutes scuffing her heels in failed attempts to avoid her feet, though Aveline pretended to be none the wiser as she lead around with the practiced ease despite the looks they were going. If the dress was meant capture the attention of the opposite sex, it was working.

"A friend, you say?" He remarked, eyes scanning the crowd across the way. Sitting here next to her was wholly inappropriate in this society, most especially for her considering her social standing. "Are you almost done?" He inquired.

"Yes, yes," Aveline said, her fingers falling away from his hair. "There." Ratohnhaké:ton reached up and touched the hair hanging close to his jawline. His pad of his fingers dragged across the beads that were tied around his hair; reaching behind him he checked his pony tail and noted she had done the same there as well. "What are these for, again?"

"It's a sign of friendship if you must know," Aveline rose from the ground and proceeded to brush her dress clean of the dirt and debris, Ratohnhaké:ton followed suit, but his eyes remained aware of the bodies moving around behind the shrubbery. "Thank you, I suppose," He sighed.

Aveline inclined her head. "Think nothing of it Frère," Aveline said as she started to walk away.

"Wait," He nearly reached out to stop her, but she turned too quickly for any sort of contact to happen. She regarded his open hand with mild suspicion, her eyes met his and a eyebrow rose. "What?" Connor reached into the inner part of his jacket and revealed a tomahawk. Aveline stepped back a little even as he extended his arm to her, the handle of the weapon directed toward her. "For you," He answered.

Aveline took the weapon from his possession and regarded the blade with some admiration. Curling four of her fingers against her palm, she used the other make a turning motion. Without a second thought, Connor did as was asked of him and turned his back to her. Aveline hoisted her dress up and fastened the tomahawk on the belt around her waist. It was heavier than the machete she used, not as sharp, but most likely just as effective. Retrieving the machete from her right side, she cleared her throat and straightened her dress. Ratohnhaké:ton turned in response, one eye open. "Here, you can hold this for a time," Aveline said. "And in the eventuality we ever meet again-"

"I can return it," Ratohnhaké:ton finished. "Very well."

Aveline gave a little curtsy and turned to leave first. No one was none-the-wiser about her whereabouts as she fell back into the crowd; a few moments later Connor followed suit, hat sitting low on his head as he went in the opposite direction of Aveline.

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*So I'm told those who speak French don't actually say "Quelle Surprise", however correct me if I'm wrong here.  
*Based on something I tend to do a lot when I play _Assassin's Creed_ (sans the stuff dudes in a corner bit). Kinda gets me killed. A lot.


End file.
